BeAble Capital, a Spanish venture fund specialised in ‘science equity’, has once again decided to support the disruptive technology of  Kumux, located in the Barcelona Science Park, through a capital investment of €500,000. The deep tech company, that was born as a spin-off from the University of Barcelona, has developed a human-centric intelligent lighting system that, through patented algorithms, mimics sunlight inside buildings, taking geolocation, time of year and activity into account. The startup already has twenty projects underway in office buildings, residences for the elderly, schools and hospitals.

The fund manager BeAble Capital, specialised in ‘science equity’ (technology transfer in ‘deep science’) has decided to support Kumux due to its unstoppable progression in becoming a benchmark in the automation of circadian lighting in buildings to improve people’s health.

Thanks to the funding obtained, “Kumux will be able to continue contributing towards health through light in smart buildings. This year we will have completed twenty projects in the office, nursing home and hospital sector, and soon, we will enter into new international business partnerships in the lighting and control sector,” comments the company’s CEO, Javier Iglesias.

Indoor lighting that mimics sunlight

Thanks to the great technological development that has occurred in recent years, consumers have shifted their interior lighting preferences toward personalisation, refinement and intelligence. According to Adrià Huguet, CTO and founder of Kumux, “the technology we have developed is based on two fundamental pillars: science related to the effect of light on people worldwide and the study of natural lighting. It is scientifically proven that people need a different type of light depending on the activity being carried out and the time of day, which can positively affect their productivity, rest and recovery.”

The technological solutions proposed by Kumux help people to have lighting that allows them to mimic sunlight in closed spaces. “It’s like having the benefits of the sun in terms of energy improvement, but without running the risk of overexposure to the sun,” highlights Huguet.

In this regard, the spin-off company of the UB aims to “promote the use of natural light in our lives and raise awareness about its positive impact”, as well as bringing the properties of sunlight inside the buildings. “With modern life, spending more time outdoors has become complicated. That’s why Kumux exists.”

Benefits for the planet

This year, the company has carried out a series of studies and has worked intensively to develop a simulator which allows users to not only visualise its circadian lighting control solution, but also see the electricity consumption of the companies which implement it. “With this tool, our customers can see what the variation of the lighting would be like throughout the day, and also how they can save energy and money thanks to this regulation,” Huguet points out.

Kumux is not only committed to caring for the health of people, it’s also committed to the planet. As Huguet explains, the objective is “to not only create a solution that enables improving the well-being of people who spend a lot of time inside closed spaces – whether that be for work, because they are at school or because they have to stay in hospital – but also one which enables companies to save energy and money at the same time. In the past this often seemed difficult to achieve, but we have created a solution that creates a positive impact in both aspects, and which works automatically, depending on geolocation and the activity being carried out, which is something that sets Kumux apart from the competition.”

The benefit of Kumux does not apply exclusively to people; it also extends to the planet, because “by using LED lighting, together with the Kumux algorithms, we can reduce energy consumption by up to 20% and help companies reduce their environmental impact, as well as making a saving on the electricity bill,” Javier Iglesias points out.

Circadian lighting systems have a positive impact on both people’s health and well-being as well as the environment. As we have seen, Human Centric Lighting can help improve concentration, mood and productivity as well as helping us sleep better. The circadian lighting systems developed by Kumux help regulate people’s circadian cycle, allowing them to “have the right lighting at the right time.”

With its advanced team specialising in circadian lighting, and its partners, Kumux will continue to lead the innovation of the lighting industry in Spain and the international lighting markets in the coming years to “bring a ray of sunshine inside buildings”, concludes Iglesias.